How to Design a Modular or a Non-Modular Building?

[LegoModularFan]

Hey guys,

I know that several people before me created similar threads but here, there are some specific people from whom I would really like to learn how they design modulars or non-modular buildings, from where they get inspiration, how do they start to design and which techniques they use to create their incredible buildings - so I mention them here. Would be extremely appreciated if you can share some of your knowledge and experiences. 

@snaillad, @cimddwc, @RoxYourBlox, @Pate-keetongu, @alois, @Norton74, @peedeejay, @Pakita, @lookl, @paupadros, @Kristel, @BrickyBoy, @AllanSmith, @fillishave, @Xenomurphy, @Brickenberg, @Jellyeater, @oirad 72, @sander1992, @DigitalDreams, @Skalldyr, @drdesignz, @Wodanis, @Berthil, @tkel86, @Captain Green Hair, @Stelario, @spaceman76, @PaddyBricksplitter, @Kalais, @pj_bosman, @Man with a hat, @Basiliscus, @kris kelvin, @Lasse, @Morty, @Sheriff von Snottingham, @Pepa Quin, @Inyongbricks, @mautara, @flat_four, @jaapxaap, @quy, @sasbury, @chumuhou, @Nannan, @nebraska, @Elostirion, @Imagine, @puddleglum, @genecyst, @Luky1987, @Gabor, @MichalPL, @higdon, @Gabe Umland, @Startbrickingtoday, @dvdliu, @Xtopher, @Toltomeja, @Klikstyle, @Colonel, @andybear@hk, @koffiemoc, @Naptown11, @SavaTheAggie, @tsi, @Regenerate builder, @mccoyed, @Brickextreme, @brickextreme2, @Wedge09, @SERVATOR, @BrickRally217, @macsergey, @Superfunk, @Ayrlego, @Chorduroy, @Dfenz, @denil85, @vecchiasignoraceppo, @SlyOwl, @kreimkoek, @Spacebrick, @frumpy, @teabox, @mouseketeer, @norlego, @Subix, @Bricksky, @TJJohn12, @Nick Barrett, @Legodt, @Danpb, @CorvusA, @Chapachuk, @tkatt, @otterlilly, @ranghaal, @nuno2500, @Hoexbroe, @wingyew29,  @de-marco, @theycallmemrdarko, @savetheclocktower, @hugosantos, @Nieks, @TheBear, @TheLET, @Svelte, @modestolus, @exis, @wanseetoon, @Erdbeereis, @dalle, @chiukeung99, @eos512, @stej123, @6kyubi6, @LegoJalex, @Brickthing, @Anne Mette, @Ymarilego, @Clark, @Matija Grguric, @Ron Dayes, @Neverroads, @Kapp, @o0ger, @Asper, @Bennemans, @Matn, @Romanos, @Esben Kolind, @Minifig Lecturer, @Skrytsson, @brickbink, @sweetsha, @Konajra, @frogstudio, @WetWired, @pinioncorp, @Scrat, @crises_crs, @Nightfall, @SzU, @lisqr, @Huaojozu, @Klikstyle, @Bricked1980, @oo7, @brickbink, @Derfel Cadarn, @Priovit70, @CoolerTD, @Swan Dutchman, @Parks and Wrecked Creation, @Know Your Pieces, @adde51, @Lindon, @MaximB, @Zilmrud, @Mestari, @Fenom, @Adeel Zubair, @FiliusRucilo, @Wineyard, @vedosololego, @JanetVanD, @sdrnet, @Vincent Q, @Cecilie, @papercla, @Aliencat, @fonz, @Teddy, @Majkel, @Disco86, @Jasper Joppe Geers, @jaredchan, @Legopard, @Rolli, @Anio, @jalemac34, @Vincent Kessels, @Delbaerov, @Giacinto Consiglio, @ryantaggart, @vitreolum, @Alex, @eurotrash, @gabrielerava, @L@go, @STHLM, @sonicstarlight, @DK_Titan, @wooootles, @Hinckley, @castor-troy, @ER0L, @polarstein, @Elysiumfountain, @Tobysan, @Tijger-San, @Gunman, @alex54, @Palixa And The Bricks, @Redhead1982, @thomassio, @carebear, @RogerSmith, @gotoAndLego, @2013-lego, @niteangel, @MnnMtq, @kevin8, @koalayummies, @sheo, @hermez, @stef2280, @Cunctator, @domino39, @CarsonBrick, @eliza, @brickcitydepot and @Dakar A

I know, that list is enormous, there are some who designed billions of buildings and some just one but they all absolutely deserve to be here! The people I mentioned here are personally my favorite MOCers (according to my taste).

—But others, please feel free to share your knowledges and experiences, maybe I forgot to mention you or I just didn’t discover your beautiful buildings, and in this way I’ll discover 

Edited May 31, 2018 by LegoModularFan

[Terrasher]

I always like to check out this guide for tips: The Essence of Modular Building https://imgur.com/a/44zSf

[koalayummies]

This is going to be excellent and I can’t wait to hear how all of the great Eurobricks modular creators go about designing their fantastic works. You’ve done a great job compiling a list of some of the best modular builders here (and fantastic use of the @).

Thanks for the mention, I’m really honored you like my builds. While I’ve only done two MOC modulars, so nothing close to number some of the builders here, I’ll share my process in any case which so far goes like this:

First is the conceptual phase, simply brainstorming what type of buildings I would like to see in my imaginary town (as I don’t actually display in a layout). I come up with a loose idea of what the exterior and interior style will be, start conceptualizing a rough floor plan, what size footprint the building will have and vague facade ideas.

From there I open up Lego Digital Designer and start laying down bricks. Like I’ve seen many describe as their process I start with creating some various facade designs based on what might go well with the building’s theme. Sections, colors, build styles, just experimenting. I’ve spent hours on a design only to delete massive sections or scrap the whole build and start fresh. Eventually something starts to work and move on to the floors and walls. I tend to only design when there is time (at night) and limit myself to roughly an hour or so at a time. The last two I’ve done were about a months worth of the digital work in this manner.

Once the digital building is essentially ‘complete’ digitally (but far from the finished model I finally reveal) I’ll leave the digital build file alone for a couple of weeks only coming back to occasionally tinker with the design or tweak small things. I do this so that I’m not ‘too close’ to the project and can come back and see it with fresh eyes. If at the end of a few weeks I still like the design I’ll print out the parts list, go through all of my pieces and set aside what I have and order what I lack.

Then I begin to build it in real bricks. From here it can go smoothly or like my bed and breakfast I can find myself disappointed in the design from the digital build and end up reworking a large amount of the facade. This is one of the drawbacks of designing digitally. Regardless of using the program a lot it still has its visual limitations and things can look very similar and sometimes even better in real life than the digital build or it might not look nearly as good as it did digitally. 

Along the way of building it with real bricks I end up changing a lot, especially on the inside. It’s a little difficult to visualize the interior space of the small rooms on the digital programs (and the camera angle manipulation is a tad clunky), but this is where a lot of great changes happen. Once the walls start going up its a lot easier to see what can be done with the space and physical bricks and I often rework much of the interior and adding a lot of the final detail. 

Once its completely built with real bricks I like to sit on the design again. Every so often changing a few things here or there. I don’t like to rush to share it which is a really hard urge to fight. Average time for my two MOC modulars was around 7-8 months from first digitally placed brick to final presentation on here but a lot of that is self-imposed breaks and waiting for pieces. 

Here's a hasty picture of a very rough looking bed and breakfast during initial assembly building from the digital file:

The MODs are an entirely different process and as you can see I am what is referred to as a "messy builder":

Edited January 25, 2018 by koalayummies

[LegoModularFan]

6 hours ago, koalayummies said:

This is going to be excellent and I can’t wait to hear how all of the great Eurobricks modular creators go about designing their fantastic works. You’ve done a great job compiling a list of some of the best modular builders here (and fantastic use of the @).

Thanks! Me too, can’t wait  I hope this thread will be useful for many beginner MOCers as well as myself 

6 hours ago, koalayummies said:

Thanks for the mention, I’m really honored you like my builds. While I’ve only done two MOC modulars, so nothing close to number some of the builders here

You’re very welcome! I was thinking you made three MOCs (Decoration Gallery, Town Hardware and Town Bed & Breakfast)... 

And for all the rest of your post, thank you so much! I already learned some valuable lessons and read and digest the knowledge you shared! That was a very useful post 

10 hours ago, Terrasher said:

I always like to check out this guide for tips: The Essence of Modular Building https://imgur.com/a/44zSf

Thanks for that but I have already seen that, this thread is also on EB 

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by LegoModularFan

[peedeejay]

All my builds were done within LDD first and then I did the real build. Sometimes I try something with real bricks while building digitally, but since I am traveling a lot I can not have my bricks with me all the time and LDD helps here.

I pretty much always start with the second floor facade with my builds, especially when building a 16-wide. And I also always start with the windows and window decorations because for me that is a key element in the design of a modular. This of course depends on the layout, but when you have an almost flat front it is. The only exceptions where I started with the ground floor are my Casino and the Tailor, since I already knew that those builds will be a casino and a tailor before I started with the first brick. For other buildings I usually decide later what I put inside and after I did that I start with the ground floor facade.

When I have build the facade, my builds usually look like fake houses from western movies, since there is absolutely nothing behind the facade, no floor plan or stairs or whatsoever. I then usually build the backside facade before I move over to the floor plan. Interior is always done last and it's the part which I actually like the least of the whole building process.

Inspiration is coming from everywhere, but usually from houses of my home town Hamburg. Exceptions being the Casino and the Tailor. Usually I only grab a key element from a real building (like window decoration) or the color scheme and start from there. I estimate that a digital build usually takes between 25 and 60 hours.

[LegoModularFan]

Millions of thanks @peedeejay! Your tactic on starting with the second floor seems to be a good idea. It also prevents you to build an irrelevant ground floor which will not fit the rest of the building... and finally I now understand why I love Casino and Tailor more 

[cimddwc]

Well, my inspirations usually come from real buildings, sometimes directly from one, sometimes a combination of several, sometimes just the general style.

Then I'm usually brainstorming around, sometimes drawing pencil sketches, especially to get the proportions right. I use LDD only rarely, e.g. for my Grand Hotel's main entrance and ground floor design, trying different variations. But mostly I'm rather trying things out in real bricks - my brainstorming is often detailed enough that this doen't take endless iterations. :)

And I also often start with the second floor, building facades first. Taking into consideration constraints like where it will be placed, or wanting to use the 50 sand red bricks I had, or 200 light aqua 1x2s. Did that also with the smaller house (16-wide) I'm currently working on - only after the facade was done, I decided to put an ice cream parlor in the ground floor and a strangely colored room in the apartment above. (Strangely colored for my taste - it's for the J-, erm, N-pop girl from the Ninjago Movie minifigures.^^)

Inspiration for how to build details sometimes come from seeing new interesting parts, by the way. Be it a Ninjago weapons holder, a mudguard, maybe a tutu or a small Technic turntable in the future. Or, of course, the other way around: which parts look most like a real decoration...?

[LegoModularFan]

Thank you so much @cimddwc All very useful indeed!

23 minutes ago, cimddwc said:

And I also often start with the second floor, building facades first.

Now it is clear that I need to start with the second floor just like two great MOCers do!

24 minutes ago, cimddwc said:

Did that also with the smaller house (16-wide) I'm currently working on - only after the facade was done, I decided to put an ice cream parlor in the ground floor and a strangely colored room in the apartment above. (Strangely colored for my taste - it's for the J-, erm, N-pop girl from the Ninjago Movie minifigures.^^)

Can’t wait to see your newest MOC! 

24 minutes ago, cimddwc said:

Inspiration for how to build details sometimes come from seeing new interesting parts, by the way. Be it a Ninjago weapons holder, a mudguard, maybe a tutu or a small Technic turntable in the future. Or, of course, the other way around: which parts look most like a real decoration...?

Thanks for the recommendations about using those specific parts in a different way! I recently tried putting some weapons, hammers and stuff like this as a window decoration and those parts look quite interesting as façade details, I want to use them in a build! 

Thanks again!

[Faefrost]

My first suggestion. Above and beyond anything else is get your hands on Brickcitydepots book

http://a.co/d29QCm9

Trust me it’s worth it for $16. Hundreds of tips on spotting the world and simplifying the little details into Lego parts. It also has complete instructions for one full detailed modular pharmacy and three unfurnished general purpose buildings. 

My approach is I decide a color palett and a rough pen and paper idea of what I want first. Very rough. But part of it is I view every modular building as telling a story or having a story running through it. It helps me decide what it is I am seeking to make. It has to have a purpose and a story before I start piling on architecture. For the rough draft I use pictures of real buildings. Places I know. Something that caught my eye as a good subject. Etc. 

from there it goes into LDD to get the basic build together. I probably go further than most in ?LDD as I will also design or scetch out the interior and the furnishings. Each of my LDD projects will have 6-12 files for different floors, furniture. Combined tests and templates. I like to get the virtual model as detailed as I can so I can render it. 

Once satisfied, I pull a parts list and start building. No plans ever survive contact with an actual build, so you just sorta make it up as you go, trying to more or less create what you planned out. 

Oh I should mention what is perhaps the most overlooked part of an LDD design. Printing out the parts list. Importing it into BrickLink, and finding which insanely rare or improbable parts you used. Then going back, finding work around sand doing it again. LDD does not calculate cost or rarity of part. If you set it wrong it will not even validate color selections. You want to try and not plan your build around insanely expensive ultra rare parts. 

Unlike others I design from the bottom up. The ground floor is normally the most complex and packed with details. It will be the anchor purpose of the building and it’s story.  The architectural trim and facade and roofline are what I do last. But Tend to focus more on the interior. Get the walls and windows up to define space, then design the interior. 

[Pate-keetongu]

Interesting topic. I feel I'm a bit of an anarchist when it comes to modular buildings. I don't use LEGO's standard, as those buildings seem too small. Too small to fit enough details, too small for good looking windows, and somehow tiny simply as models. I neither use baseplates, as they're slippery, flexible and expensive, and also because our LUG uses specific modular standard.

Neither I use LDD or any computer program to design. I'm a second-year architecture student (though I haven't really posted any modulars during my studies; I've built several, but haven't been able to photograph them as they're in a museum. I'm currently having two under construction, too) and I have to use more than enough CAD programs with them school works, so doing that with hobby would be dull. And honestly, I've never really liked LDD's interface, I felt that turning bricks around takes so much more time than with real bricks, and you can't touch the thing, not easily see it from different angles... And I like fiddling around with my bricks.

I quite often, but not always, begin with some detail bits. Not neccesarily actual "facade details", but they might be, and usually are, windows, doorways, roof designs, domes, arch systems, bay windows... Then I arrange them, and the building evolves around  it. I sometimes make drawings, but these are mostly used to design the lay-out (width of the buildings and special angles it there are some, arraging bits with more heigh like corner towers and such, and the relation of roof types, etc.) I also might absent-mindely draw modular building plans during some boring critic or lecture at the university; my notebooks might have MOC sketches and schoolwork sketches side by side. But indeed most of the design work is done with real bricks at my work table at home, with trial and error. I also try to make planned building with bricks I have to not throw lot of money to Bricklink; LUGBULK and local brick vendor with all-you-can-fit in one-litre ziplock bag for 10 euro helps.

Inspiration comes from various sources. My buildings are designed to fit 1895-1918 European style, Art Nouveau and Jugendstil. The big reason is that I simply like this particular era: It's somewhat free-form and even chaotic, especially in its northern Finnish forms. It has strong sense of place and history without channeling over-used influenced from classical Greece, Gothic Europe or Reneissance Italy, which are hardly essetial. In the same time it is romantic and feel-evoking, features that modern or International style building might (but not neccessary) lack. They're fantasy-like but not conservative, detailed but organic. Means I, as a brick-fiddler 110 years later, can try to capture the feel without being restricted by style-layouts and model systems, like in, let's say, 1880s Neo-Reneissance urban houses many LEGO's modular building might be based on.

I've never copied exact building in minifig scale. I like to create. I neither, despite studying the subject in university and everything, bother that much with floor-to-floor heights or stuff like that. I have to do it at school, and in the future at work, so with bricks I play and do things the way they flow naturally. If I want to have 15 -metre floor-to-floor heigh, I can do it. I never do any interiors. Nothing against them, I enjoy seeing a good interior. But I don't have infinite part storage, so It's easier just to build the facade, some beams to connect it to cheaply-made back wall (Usually bricks but sometimes castle-panels and once even a baseplate with some ivy stuck to it). So my building are hollow and rather thin. It irritates me a bit but people hardly ever critize. In a bit layout, the first thing they see is facade, and if it's grand enough, it seems to satisfy them. And I don't need to spend all my money and Bricklink.

I sometimes take inspiration from specific buildings, too. I'm having a WIP somewhat based on Hotel Evropa in Prague. I took the colour scheme, the big arch on the middle and some basics of the window layout, and designed the rest based on what parts I had in Bright Light Orange. I had mostly 1x2x3 slopes and 1x8 plates with railing, both from LEGO's LUG event support reward bags. It felt natural to use those slopes sideways to make a slight bay, so 60% of the facade is build sideways. This made it possible to make some thin vertical colour lines with plates. The result it quite pleasing. I think I can show it in a month or two when I get the rest of 64x96 stud city block done.

[paupadros]

On 25/1/2018 at 3:33 AM, koalayummies said:

The MODs are an entirely different process and as you can see I am what is referred to as a "messy builder":

Funny, my LDD files are often close to 10.000 pieces lying everywhere...

Like many others have mentioned, real life or architectural details on Flickr is what I look at to have some inspiration. In the past I remember beginning many of my models by looking at a real building and trying to replicate it in real life (some buildings are just wonderful to do this, but many suffer from things Lego just can't deal with. For instance, I've always felt like the palette misses kind of a muted tan, somewhat like dark tan, but not as strong and sort of greyish colour to build good cathedrals or buildings out of, but I guess that's never coming.

More recently, inspiration comes from structure. Like with Sweets & Co.. I had the idea of a grand 45-degree façade with two buildings, but didn't know which buildings to place, but that didn't matter. Some research or real life encounters help massively. For another modular that I've been working on and am rendering, I found a picture of a house arrangement on the internet and thought: Hey! That could perfectly work in Lego. Plop a building here, this there, a weird façade there... And it just takes off. It is only when you finish designing that you realise it has actually taken you that much time! 

And again more recently with another modular that I'm working on. I saw an architectural detail in a movie that just looked to fit Lego like ring in finger. In fact, while watching the film I was constantly thinking: "Hey, this, but with cheese slope atop and 45º tiles hanging from it... My craziness and my stupidity all binded into one . Then at two in the morning I woke up, grabbed a pen, and drew what was troubling me. There it was. A prelininary sketch of what I'm working on right now. It must be said that building sizes (which I wrote down, half alseep) I still keep.

You know the trick: shaping and colours. It's all there is (and a flippin' amazing rooftop and just all sorts of things lying around the street)! I've recently (with the last modular) been challenging myself to find colour and shape combos that make the eye not seem like it's a brand new colour when it's just a mix of others (Cool Yellow, Spring Green, Olive Green, Sand Green, Dark Orange and Dark Red all packed in a single façade!). It must be said that I did this because I had a façade that didn't work (many things don't, you'll see !) and just stood there trying things until something did work (again, basing off reality, this time though, through a building which I though would never work as Lego. And it doesn't, but working your way around it, you get something ten times nicer, a hundred times more original and something that makes you a thousand times prouder.

 

PD: It must be said that if you want to build it eventually (which I know you would ) going totally bazangas isn't the cleverest idea. It's undoubtedly the most fun and exciting for me, though. I live in flower-power land when it comes to Lego or art, not reality, so I really don't care about feasibility nor anything that isn't going totally crazy in the design.

Why would I even start a modular if I weren't convinced I could go even crazier and weirder than ever before? Always keeping the modular God-like laws intact, of course!

[ReplicaOfLife]

For me, it has been different with every build.

The first one (no pictures online anymore) I put together only from vintage parts I had.

The second one - which I consider my first proper MOC - is largely inspired by cimddwcs Chima Trikes Store - the ground floor exterior is an almost exact replica (only adjusted to the dfifferent footprint), and the upper floors take a lot of cues aswell, the most obvious being the tower, of course, which is also very closely modeled after cimddwcs brilliant MOC (and before anyone asks: Of course I asked him permission before I even started planning the building!).

The Brownstone coupled together with the Barber Shop part of my DO mod pretty much grew organically. I only knew that i wanted it to be brown, and just started building in LDD.

The Outdoor Store had several ideas going into it: The general design with two front gabled parts left and right and a recessed, side-gabled part in the middle, the usage of Dark Orange (since I had decided not to keep my Town Hall, but still wanted a dark orange building) and finally stumbling over the dark turquoise slope pieces on bricklink.

The Sideways Building evolved from me playing around with lots of 1x1 medium blue bricks left over after my DO mod was finished, and thinking that it would look cool to use them in that way to create the masonry effect.

And my next MOC, which is already finished in LDD except for the interior of two floors, draws inspiration from various buildings in my hometown - most notably the one I live in, a medieval half-timbered house (without exposed woodwork). I modeled the front facade after it very closely.

Might still be another few months until that one is finished in real bricks. Right now I find myself kinda lacking in motivation :-/

[LegoModularFan]

Thanks so much guys, I’m sorry for the late response @Faefrost and @Pate-keetongu, I wanted to read your messages carefully before responding! 

On 26/01/2018 at 7:02 AM, Faefrost said:

My first suggestion. Above and beyond anything else is get your hands on Brickcitydepots book

http://a.co/d29QCm9

Trust me it’s worth it for $16. Hundreds of tips on spotting the world and simplifying the little details into Lego parts. It also has complete instructions for one full detailed modular pharmacy and three unfurnished general purpose buildings. 

Many thanks for the suggestion! In fact I have already discovered this book but I’ve completely forgotten, so thanks for reminding it, I’ll buy it ASAP...

And thanks so much for the valuable knowledge and experience you shared. Look forward to seeing your next MOC 

On 26/01/2018 at 10:17 AM, Pate-keetongu said:

Interesting topic

I know that’s a very small quote  but I’m happy you found it interesting!

On 26/01/2018 at 10:17 AM, Pate-keetongu said:

I feel I'm a bit of an anarchist when it comes to modular buildings. I don't use LEGO's standard, as those buildings seem too small. Too small to fit enough details, too small for good looking windows, and somehow tiny simply as models. I neither use baseplates, as they're slippery, flexible and expensive, and also because our LUG uses specific modular standard.

Art Nouveau is one of my favorite architecture if it’s not my favorite! Your modulars are so unique and I really like the choice of pieces and the way you put to represent architectural details! I think your modulars would not have been so unique if they had been made with the modular standards 

On 26/01/2018 at 10:17 AM, Pate-keetongu said:

I've built several, but haven't been able to photograph them as they're in a museum.

Oh, aren’t those the ones you shared in your blog in a glass display? Also which museum is it, I’d like to see them in real if I go to Finland 

On 26/01/2018 at 10:17 AM, Pate-keetongu said:

I also might absent-mindely draw modular building plans during some boring critic or lecture at the university; my notebooks might have MOC sketches and schoolwork sketches side by side.

On 26/01/2018 at 10:17 AM, Pate-keetongu said:

Inspiration comes from various sources. My buildings are designed to fit 1895-1918 European style, Art Nouveau and Jugendstil.

Our tastes are so similar 

On 26/01/2018 at 8:52 PM, paupadros said:

Plop a building here, this there, a weird façade there...

Again someone with whom my taste is very similar! 

On 26/01/2018 at 8:52 PM, paupadros said:

And it doesn't, but working your way around it, you get something ten times nicer, a hundred times more original and something that makes you a thousand times prouder.

That sentence is very encouraging! That’s what I needed! Don’t know how to thank you 

On 26/01/2018 at 8:52 PM, paupadros said:

PD: It must be said that if you want to build it eventually (which I know you would ) going totally bazangas isn't the cleverest idea. It's undoubtedly the most fun and exciting for me, though. I live in flower-power land when it comes to Lego or art, not reality, so I really don't care about feasibility nor anything that isn't going totally crazy in the design.

Why would I even start a modular if I weren't convinced I could go even crazier and weirder than ever before? Always keeping the modular God-like laws intact, of course!

That’s what makes your modulars unique! Keep it up 

On 26/01/2018 at 9:21 PM, RogerSmith said:

For me, it has been different with every build.

Thanks a lot for writing the designing process of your modulars! You showed there were many possibilities for where and how to start, exactly where I was stuck in several projects! 

On 26/01/2018 at 10:17 AM, Pate-keetongu said:

I'm having a WIP somewhat based on Hotel Evropa in Prague.

 

On 26/01/2018 at 8:52 PM, paupadros said:

For another modular that I've been working on and am rendering

 

On 26/01/2018 at 8:52 PM, paupadros said:

And again more recently with another modular that I'm working on

 

On 26/01/2018 at 9:21 PM, RogerSmith said:

And my next MOC, which is already finished in LDD except for the interior of two floors

I can’t wait to see more inspirational buildings 

Looking forward to hearing from other talented MOCers!

Edited January 30, 2018 by LegoModularFan

[paupadros]

16 hours ago, RogerSmith said:

Most notably the one I live in, a medieval half-timbered house (without exposed woodwork). I modeled the front facade after it very closely.

So cool you live in one of those, we don't get them here in Southern Europe!

[gotoAndLego]

So I don't have time to go in-depth, but I'll talk briefly about my most recent one.

 

I started out with the bay window pieces from the Creator Park Townhouse set and decided I wanted a roof greenhouse...that was the initial idea. Then I figured a dutch style house would fit best, and despite having a Dutch mother, I never made a dutch style house. I have a lot of those lighter blue 2x2 plates from the front so I then decided I would go all in and use the friends colors I had laying around. As you can see from earlier photos I didn't have the garage planned and was going to use some weird vertical stairs to reach both the second and third floor. When I decided to add a garage on the back I got the City Crooks Island sets and figured those olive green panels would be cool and I used the jets launcher to make the scooter stand inside. One thing to mention is that when I was building it I had no windows and was just using blocks of colors I had at hand; I wasn't concerned with the color of parts because I either didn't have all my bricks nearby or I didn't have them in colors I would use later. If you can't build this way because the various colors bother you you can always take black and white photos of it to see how you like the shape. I would then replace blank walls with windows as I decided on the style and gathered parts. The rear deck with plant guy and the beehive was a later addition. I first added the stairs and then realized I had to inset them one stud or the brown garage door wouldn't open all the way. LOL

Edited January 28, 2018 by gotoAndLego

[Kristel]

Thanks for the mention!

I take my inspiration mostly from real-life buildings that I've walked past (such as the Psychiatrist Office) or come across online (such as the Beloved Belle).  The end result often only partly resembles the building that it was based on, if at all.  For Psychiatrist Office, the window on the first floor is taken from a bank that I walk past on my way to work.  For the Beloved Belle, the inspiration was the colourful buildings with flower-laden balconies in Bilboa, Spain, but it looks nothing like those buildings.  I also take a lot of inspiration from the cast-iron buildings in New York.

I like to build with real bricks when designing a new building.  It means I end up with a big mess on my table, but I also know that I wouldn't then use bricks that were rare (if they are, I'm not likely to have them in my collection!).  I always start with real bricks because I just can't visualise it digitally when in the designing stage.  I'm travelling a lot for work at the moment and have put LDD on my work laptop, but I just can't make any meaningful design progress - I need the bricks in front of me to make it work. 

Sometimes an early design will end up being put in digital form, if I'm not entirely happy with it, but don't want to lose the design.  More often than not, though, I just take multiple photos from every angles before dismantling the WIP to start again!  I don't really have the room to have lots of different versions of anything built at the one time. 

The ground floor is usually the starting point for the building as a whole, although I often just build windows  sitting in facades by themselves (like cut outs from a building).  I can then keep in mind what I need to allow for being able to fit the window in when I am building up the structure.  The roof is generally the last thing I do and I always struggle with the transition from the floors to the roof.  This is definitely the section that ends up being rebuild the most.

 

[paupadros]

2 hours ago, Kristel said:

The end result often only partly resembles the building that it was based on, if at all.  For Psychiatrist Office, the window on the first floor is taken from a bank that I walk past on my way to work.  For the Beloved Belle, the inspiration was the colourful buildings with flower-laden balconies in Bilbao, Spain, but it looks nothing like those buildings. 

(Though I'm not from Bilbao), it has a unique comination of New York-ish brightly coloured metal and glass sections pertruding from more traditional buildings. I would totally recommend looking at this list from Flickra, which exemplifies perfectly what I mean (take a look at all his other pictures from wonderful architecture too!) Something in those lines so that it is classical enough, but has a modern and contemporary flair that is totally irresistable.

[ReplicaOfLife]

On 27.1.2018 at 1:41 PM, paupadros said:

So cool you live in one of those, we don't get them here in Southern Europe!

It's definitely a unique experience. It makes you wonder what went on in the space you live in all those centuries before.

...and it's nothing for people who only like 90° corners, and perfectly even floors

[wooootles]

Thanks for the shoutout!  

Inspiration - Real-life, American/modern buildings.  Think Chicago, Seattle, New York.  Sometimes, even doing a Google Streetview of some random busy intersection in a big city and seeing how everything's laid out.

Design - LDD, though I'm slowly switching to Stud.io (just because when buying BL parts the categories and labeling of parts and colors is much more familiar than the official LEGO names).  UsualIy pretty much design up to 60%, up to the facade in most cases, just to see how it looks like, and do the rest with bricks.  This way I can preview my MOC, but at the same time, I don't commit to all the finer details that may actually not look as good in real life.

Building the MOC - I always keep a healthy inventory of brick and plates of white, light/dark bluish grey, black, and tan.  Since my last 3 MOC buildings are skyscrapers I actually start the middle first (the repetitive floors) as they're the biggest part and what you will see for the most part.  Then I do the base floors and top floors (if it changes).  I just do interiors with whatever I have at the moment and finish it off with another BL order.

[eurotrash]

I'm not entirely sure I belong in such illustrious company, but thanks for including me.  

As far as my build process is concerned it's very much based on handling raw bricks.  I find LDD and the other tools kind of cumbersome and slow to work out details and to me there's nothing quite as satisfying as thinking of an architectural feature and then replicating it with real bricks.  I always start with the facade being built flat on its back with no side walls and I tend to position the features in the above ground floors first.  That way I can get the windows and 'stuff' aligned before I commence work on the ground floor. I build using EPIC (Existing Pieces Ignore Color) and only swap out the temporary colors when I've got to a point where I want to solidify the design.  There's sometimes a far amount of rework involved but that's never a problem - it just means that I've got a better idea I want to explore. Once the facade is finished I'll mesh it up to a pre-built three-walled structure (two side walls and the rear) and start work on the roof and greebling (the waterpipes, the a/c units, the duct work, any signage, etc.).  As for any interiors they will be built separately and lowered into place for any photographs. 

If I'm just freebuilding the design will come together quickly, but if it's based on a real building (or TV show like Bob's Burgers) then the research part can take months.  For my three Bob's Burgers builds I scoured the interweb for images, hints, and details, reached out to the production crew and the animators for obscure views (getting a clear shot of the rear of Morty's Funeral Home was a real pain in the megablocks).  It's fair to say I became obsessive and couldn't watch an episode without my finger on the pause button waiting for a specific detail to be resolved.  

That's the build process and to be honest it's probably not too different from the other AFOLs methods.  What's more interesting to me, at least, is the inspiration for the builds and that can come from anywhere and everywhere.  I've just spent an hour or so scrolling through the forty-odd Modulars I've got on my Flickr account and as I was doing that I was trying to recall some of the thought process behind each build.  So, in no particular order my most satisfying builds have come from:

• a challenge or a bet.  One of my favorite sentences to hear is "I bet you couldn't do that in Lego".  They may well be correct, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to try my hardest.
• bad jokes and terrible puns.
• a specific architectural detail I know I can replicate in Lego (and the more NPU the better).
• an exhibition deadline. Nothing concentrates the mind quite as much as committing to build five distinctive Toontown modulars for Kansas City Bricklab's "Who framed Roger Rabbit?" display at Brickworld 2017
• peer suggestions.  The LUG I belong to has an active Facebook group and the other modular builders there are a great source of ideas and inspiration. We'll use Facebook to show WIPs, share details, seek suggestions and that way the builds become more collaborative and effective. 
• bulk lego.  What am I going to do with six Car hoods in medium blue? or eight others in sand green and 12 puppies? or 24 left handed wedge pieces?  If I stare at my inventory pile long enough then an answer will emerge.

 I wrote earlier that inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere and that's it.  You've just got to keep clicking them bricks together..... "Bet you can't do it.... "

 

 

 

 

[TheLegoDr]

I know I wasn't in the list, but I'll throw in a few cents.

I have only the one modular posted online made for the Modular Madness contest back in 2012/2013. I didn't have the collection back then so I made do with what I had. Since then, of course, my collection grew. I have looked at more builders (like the many listed above, and others) and felt inspiration for different color schemes, techniques, etc.

I have multiple modulars MOC'd that I need to take pictures of still, so hopefully one day I will join the ranks of the other builders in this post.

Either way, it boils down to whatever you're comfortable with starting. After reading this list, a lot of builders share similar methods, but also arrive there differently.

I am the type that will actually free hand draw it out with where I want details. I'll pencil in how big I expect that space to be. You have to be aware of what pieces you are attempting to draw to know how much space they will take up. The end result isn't a scale drawing by any means, but you at least know how big each section will be to know how it will fit on your starting ground plate. (Plus, I just like drawing buildings. That helps).

I'm cheap also. Notoriously cheap. I don't like shopping on bricklink. I try to make do with what I already have, if I can. That certainly limits things, but it can also force you to think a bit outside the box or go with other combinations you weren't originally expecting. In the end, I'll have to order certain elements, but I keep it at a minimum. That alerts me of what colors I may want to use. Do I have any of this color? No? Then I best think about a different combination first.

With all of that said, I do have multiple WIPs currently. I should go back to the drawing board, literally.

[Giacinto Consiglio]

I always start with the facade: I build it thinking about the color I want to use (if possible a color which has never been used for official modular building) and the general shape of the building (with two towers, with balconies...). I draw inspiration from real buildings I see in first person or from Google Street View: my recent visit in Vienna has been crucial for my next modular MOC. Then I complete the exterior and subsequently I work on the  inside, choosing again a business not included in any modular. I love using rare bricks and handling them in real life, however I tend to replace them when they're ridicolously priced. Thanks for including me!

[LegoModularFan]

Many thanks for your posts @gotoAndLego, @Kristel, @wooootles, @eurotrash, @TheLegoDr and @Giacinto Consiglio! Your postes are extremely useful. My apologies for not responding you individually (that’s what you deserve)! I just wanted to assure you that I read all your comments and am so happy to hear from you great MOC’cers! You’re just so encouraging and so helpful, and give important advices! What great people, what a great community 

17 hours ago, TheLegoDr said:

I have multiple modulars MOC'd that I need to take pictures of still, so hopefully one day I will join the ranks of the other builders in this post. 

I really would like to see your MOC’s! 

________________________________________

Hope to hear from other great MOC’cers 

Edited January 30, 2018 by LegoModularFan

[coghilla]

This is a great topic. I’ve built a couple if modular style buildings over the years, ranging from 16wide houses to 48 wide office buildings. 

Browsing the responses there are a few common threads.  But all based around Individuality. 

I like the more modern style of buildings that is making its way around the world. This can be seen in Seattle and here in my own city of the Gold Coast (the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held here in April)  I’m lucky to drove past several inspiring buildings each week.

Im a design draftsman (started in architecture now in civil works) and I can see the proportions of buildings and think in brick geometry. 

My planning phase is using grid paper (with brick proportions) to sketch up the design. I like to build facades as it works well with my lug display and I don’t like doing internals. 

[koalayummies]

Its worth mentioning, since I forgot, that when designing with any of the digital programs its a good idea to have Brickset open in the background. You can click on any piece and the official part number is displayed at the bottom (for LDD) which can then be entered into brickset to see all of the colors it is made in as not every piece and color combination is produced. Best to do this as you go instead of finding out when placing orders that a bunch of pieces need to be substituted.

This is awesome to learn how so many go about making their wonderful creations.